Saudi Arabia: Letter from Sulafa - "The U.S. Embassy Does Not Respond"

I am an American citizen, Sulafa Ballool, I am 33 years old physician and a mother of two beautiful daughters, 9 and 7.

I was married to a Saudi man for 14 years...and used to work as a physician and live in the UAE …During these years we had a good marriage except for the past 2 years since I graduated from the medical school...in which his parents started to interfere and cause problems for us...During this marriage I was the one who takes care of every single aspect of our life, emotionally, financially and all other responsibilities.

On September 2009, he ran away from UAE through Sharjah airport to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia…He sent me a message through the mobile telling me not to get worried as the children were with him and he was going to divorce me. I left my work and rushed to my home with a lot of fears to realize that he really left and took all my legal documents with him, including my USA and Saudi passports. His excuse was, so not to follow them...Then I started to call his family and tried with him till next day in which he accepted to return back home with the kids....He came back and he promised not to repeat such thing again as the situation was so devastating for the angel kids.

During that incident I contacted the USA embassy in the UAE around 10:30 pm , they told me it was not an emergency and I had to call back in the morning, when he came back I did not call again.

After that we lived "normally"...but the only problem was he was unemployed and refused to look for a job...He wanted to go back to Saudi Arabia, I agreed but during summer time after the kids finish their school....I didn't know that his mom and dad were behind him and were planning for something so big.

On the 5th of January 2010 (19th of moharam), I came from work so exhausted around 3:30pm, I prepared lunch and waited for the kids to come back from school, usually their dad picks them up. It was 5 pm and they didn't show up. So I decided to call their school in which they told me that the kids never showed up that day. I run to the car garage to found his car parked and thoroughly cleaned. I called immediately the airport police in which they confirmed his departure with my two kids by a legal paper from the Saudi consulate stating that the kids' passports were lost. He had issued new passports for them from Riyadh.

This time I had the childrens' Saudi passports and their birth certificates, as well as my legal documents. He took the British passports from me two days before the incident claiming that he found a job in a British company that would offer him school payment for the kids...I believed him and I gave him the passports with good intention.

Anyhow, my dad came to know about the issue and insisted that I leave everything and come to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. On the same day I travelled to Riyadh wearing my pajama as I wasn't aware of what was really happening...I was in real emotional shock.

I arrived to Riyadh with only my hand bag that has my passports and some tissues only... My father got shocked from the way I looked...He promised to resolve the issue...Unfortunately, next day my ex sent my dad a text message indicating that he divorced me and no more contact.

I tried to contact him but his parents refused that I talk to him or even to my children and his father claimed that he took the children with him to UK. Many people tried to be involved with good intention but his father turned them down so cruelly. One day I called asking for my children, he shouted to me and threatened me in a very bad way...8 months has passed while I knew nothing about my kids…. They did not even allow me to wish them happy birthdays.

One month after the incident he went back to UAE and transferred the kids from their international school of chouifat to a local private school in Riyadh, the principle called me from UAE...The school name in Riyadh is Altarbiah Alhaditha which isn't a good school, and they don't have solid curriculum, also they teach in Arabic, while they used to learn in English. I was so devastated from what he was doing and not counting the consequences of his action and decisions on the kids psychologically.

I was and still worried about their emotional status and the conflict which already bad impact in their little minds.

My father processed with a law suit against them for children custody as I have my own home in Riyadh and my own bank account which support my living for years even if am unemployed, I am living on my own not depending on others, not like him...He is living in his parents' house which is so crowded, they are not secured financially, his family suffer from chronic illnesses…all these are documented in her health file in King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, both of his parents are not physically fit to take care of my own kids…Now he is unemployed and applied to scholarship to study in UK…so with whom my children will be left? With their aunt who lives with them and she is a kid by her own as she is only 16 years old?

We were so sure to win the custody...We didn't know that they would accuse me with very bad things like emotional instability, infidelity, bringing stranger to my home, driving a car....etc.....I was shocked...also the judge was unfaithful at all and he gave them the custody without even investigating their claims and assessing me or questioning me.

The situation is so strange and shocking...If I am that bad, then why he lived with me for 14 years Why did he accept that I do IVF to produce children...? Why did he take all my money? Why did he accept to live on my shoulder all those years...? Why did he ran away...? Why he didn't file a police report? If he is as innocent as he is claiming, then he is lying, kidnapping, stealing my money, avoiding me and my dad and destroying my reputation and letting his father to take the lead and act as I was married to his father not to him.

My dad gave them the chance for forgiveness and a remarriage again, but they refused, and hide the children as well…They have an ended list of excuses.

I have my own home that can be checked, with a private room for them, am from a wealthy family, two university degree (BSc in applied medicine physiotherapy and MBBS master of medicine and surgery), I can manage my life as I always did and I will do.

Just because a parent couldn't "dream of being without" their child, doesn't mean they would kidnap them to do so...even with the best of intentions to keep them close and safe. A parent that would kidnap their child is unfit, there is always a way to address a situation lawfully and that will not harm the children psychologically.

They told my children I am dead and no longer love them. Some of our mutual friends told me that my kids are under strict instructions not to reveal their true identities and not to speak with anyone. Also they refused to let them even see them to make sure that they are happy.

All what I want is my kids back…I want to support them physically and most important emotionally…I miss them, I want to have them back in my arms, I want to raise them properly as my mom may her soul rest in peace did with us.

Just think for a minute...Is their father and grandparents with the attitudes they showed are fit to raise two innocent girls?

I need your full help to get my kids back as soon as you can to save them even if it takes me to leave this country and live in my real country USA with my two kids securely.

Also I want to raise a kidnapping law suit against Majed and his parents, and another law suit for destroying my reputation by their false accusations.

I went to USA embassy 4 months back and until now the US embassy does not respond.

11 months had passed while I know nothing about my kids.

All what I want is my kids, I contacted all the important people in Saudi Arabia and no one cares to help me.

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Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a prisoner in Saudi Arabia who was sentenced to death as a minor, faces "death by crucifixion" after a final appeal has been dismissed. He was arrested in 2012 when he was just 17, during a crackdown on anti-government protests in the Shiite province of Qatif. According to the International Business Times, Al-Nimr was accused by the authorities of participation in illegal protests and of firearms offences, despite there being no evidence to justify the latter charge.

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